Language (Porter Robinson song)

In 2010, Porter Robinson released his first hit, "Say My Name", which topped Beatport's electro house charts.^[11] After capturing Skrillex's interest with the track,^[12] Robinson signed with Skrillex's then-new label, Owsla, in the summer of 2011.^[13] Robinson's debut EP, Spitfire was released on September 13 as the label's first release.^[14] After Skrillex and Tiësto tweeted a link to it, Beatport crashed.^[11] Robinson later toured North America in support of the EP.^[14]

While Robinson was initially known for his "aggressive" electro and complextro music,^[a] with Robinson describing his initial sound as "very heavy" and "bass-aggressive",^[11] "Language" was his first song to have a greater emphasis on melody.^[18][12] Tatiana Cirisano of Billboard said that "Robinson takes a detour toward a more delicate, trance-like sound", with the song presenting "piercing vocals" followed by "pumping fists to lush synths, a thumping bass kick and euphoric chords".^[17]

A music video to accompany the release of "Language" was first released on YouTube on August 1, 2012, with a total length of three minutes and thirty-three seconds.^[19] The music video portrays a young woman (Susannah Hart Jones)^{[citation needed]} running away from wolf-like creatures and befriending a giant-like creature. As of July 2017, the video has over 10.2 million views.

Although the song was a departure from his earlier sound, "Language" was accepted by audiences, surprising Robinson.^[11] In 2017, Tatiana Cirisano of Billboard chose "Language" as the best track in Robinson's discography at the time, writing: "It's no surprise 'Language' is one of the best-known Porter Robinson songs — and our most-loved".^[17]

"Language" was how he first conceived the idea for his 2014 debut studio album Worlds.^[11]

• "Language" was included as part of the soundtrack to the game Forza Horizon, and is heard in the main menu of the game. The song was also added in Forza Horizon 5's Horizon Mixtape radio station as part of its 10th anniversary update.